Touch detector and method of driving the same, display with touch detection function, and electronic unit having plural different drive electrodes

Abstract

A touch detector capable of achieving high position resolution while improving detection sensitivity to a touch is provided. The touch detector includes: a plurality of drive electrodes arranged side by side to extend in one direction; a detection electrode extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction where the drive electrodes extend, and arranged to form a capacitance at each of intersections with the drive electrodes; and a scanning drive section sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner, and applying a touch detection drive signal with a plurality of pulse waveforms for detecting an external adjacent object to the selected target electrodes to perform a scanning drive. A scanning pitch in the scanning drive is smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A touch detector comprising:
 a plurality of drive electrodes arranged side by side to extend in one direction; 
 a detection electrode extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction where the drive electrodes extend, and arranged to form a capacitance at each of intersections with the drive electrodes; 
 a scanning drive section sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner, and applying a touch detection drive signal with a plurality of pulse waveforms for detecting an external adjacent object to the selected target electrodes to perform a scanning drive; and 
 a touch detection section sampling a detection signal of the detection electrode at timings according to transitions of the plurality of pulse waveforms of the touch detection drive signal to detect an external adjacent object, 
 wherein a scanning pitch in the scanning drive is smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes in a drive area, 
 the scanning drive section sequentially selects the target electrodes by shifting the drive area by the scanning pitch so that the shifted drive area includes a part of the most recently selected target electrodes, 
 when the scanning drive section drives the target electrodes, the touch detection section completes detection of an external adjacent object in a region corresponding to the driven target electrodes, 
 the plurality of drive electrodes includes two kinds of drive electrodes with different widths, 
 the two kinds of drive electrodes are alternately arranged side by side, and 
 in the scanning drive, while the touch detection drive signal is simultaneously applied to three adjacent target electrodes selected from the two kinds of drive electrodes which are alternately arranged side by side, scanning is performed to shift the target electrodes by two electrodes at a time. 
 
     
     
       2. The touch detector according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the touch detection section determines a touched position based on all detection results obtained from the target electrodes sequentially selected. 
 
     
     
       3. A touch detector comprising:
 a plurality of drive electrodes; and 
 a scanning drive section sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner, and applying a drive signal to the selected target electrodes to perform a scanning drive, 
 wherein a scanning pitch in the scanning drive is smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes in a drive area, 
 the scanning drive section sequentially selects the target electrodes by shifting the drive area by the scanning pitch so that the shifted drive area includes a part of the most recently selected target electrodes, and 
 in the scanning drive, while the touch detection drive signal is simultaneously applied to three adjacent target electrodes selected from the two kinds of drive electrodes which are alternately arranged side by side, scanning is performed to shift the target electrodes by two electrodes at a time. 
 
     
     
       4. The touch detector according to  claim 3 , wherein
 a detection electrode is further included, 
 the drive signal has a plurality of pulse waveforms, and 
 a touch detection section sampling a detection signal of the detection electrode at timings according to transitions of the plurality of pulse waveforms is further included. 
 
     
     
       5. The touch detector according to  claim 4 , wherein
 when the scanning drive section drives the target electrodes, the touch detection section completes detection of an external adjacent object in a region corresponding to the driven target electrodes. 
 
     
     
       6. The touch detector according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the touch detection section determines a touched position based on all detection results obtained from the target electrodes sequentially selected. 
 
     
     
       7. The touch detector according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the plurality of drive electrodes includes two kinds of drive electrodes with different widths, and 
 the two kinds of drive electrodes are alternately arranged side by side. 
 
     
     
       8. A method of driving a touch detector comprising:
 sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from a plurality of drive electrodes, which is arranged side by side to extend in one direction, in a time-divisional manner; 
 applying a touch detection drive signal with a plurality of pulse waveforms for detecting an external adjacent object to the selected target electrodes to perform a scanning drive with a scanning pitch, the scanning pitch being smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes in a drive area; and 
 detecting the external adjacent object based on a detection signal of a detection electrode which extends in a direction orthogonal to a direction where the drive electrodes extend and is arranged to form a capacitance at each of intersections with the drive electrodes, wherein 
 the scanning drive section sequentially selects the target electrodes by shifting the drive area by the scanning pitch so that the shifted drive area includes a part of the most recently selected target electrodes, and 
 in the scanning drive, while the touch detection drive signal is simultaneously applied to three adjacent target electrodes selected from the two kinds of drive electrodes which are alternately arranged side by side, scanning is performed to shift the target electrodes by two electrodes at a time. 
 
     
     
       9. A display with a touch detection function comprising:
 a plurality of drive electrodes arranged side by side to extend in one direction; 
 a detection electrode extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction where the drive electrodes extend, and arranged to form a capacitance at each of intersections with the drive electrodes; 
 a display element performing display based on a pixel signal and a display drive signal; and 
 a scanning drive section performing a first scanning drive sequentially applying the display drive signal to the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner, and a second scanning drive sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner and applying a touch detection drive signal with a plurality of pulse waveforms for detecting an external adjacent object to the selected target electrodes, 
 wherein a scanning pitch in the second scanning drive is smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes in a drive area, 
 the scanning drive section sequentially selects the target electrodes by shifting the drive area by the scanning pitch so that the shifted drive area includes a part of the most recently selected target electrodes, and 
 in the scanning drive, while the touch detection drive signal is simultaneously applied to three adjacent target electrodes selected from the two kinds of drive electrodes which are alternately arranged side by side, scanning is performed to shift the target electrodes by two electrodes at a time. 
 
     
     
       10. A display comprising:
 a plurality of drive electrodes; 
 a display element performing display based on a display drive signal; 
 a scanning drive section sequentially applying the display drive signal to the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner and performing a scanning drive sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner and applying a drive signal to the selected target electrodes, 
 wherein a scanning pitch in the scanning drive is smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes in a drive area, 
 the scanning drive section sequentially selects the target electrodes by shifting the drive area by the scanning pitch so that the shifted drive area includes a part of the most recently selected target electrodes, and 
 in the scanning drive, while the touch detection drive signal is simultaneously applied to three adjacent target electrodes selected from the two kinds of drive electrodes which are alternately arranged side by side, scanning is performed to shift the target electrodes by two electrodes at a time. 
 
     
     
       11. An electronic unit comprising:
 a touch detector; and 
 a control section performing operation control with use of the touch detector, 
 wherein the touch detector includes:
 a plurality of drive electrodes arranged side by side to extend in one direction; 
 a detection electrode extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction where the drive electrodes extend, and arranged to form a capacitance at each of intersections with the drive electrodes; 
 a scanning drive section sequentially selecting a predetermined plural number of target electrodes from the plurality of drive electrodes in a time-divisional manner, and applying a touch detection drive signal with a plurality of pulse waveforms for detecting an external adjacent object to the selected target electrodes to perform a scanning drive, and 
 
 a scanning pitch in the scanning drive is smaller than the total width of the plural number of selected target electrodes in a drive area, 
 the scanning drive section sequentially selects the target electrodes by shifting the drive area by the scanning pitch so that the shifted drive area includes a part of the most recently selected target electrodes, and 
 in the scanning drive, while the touch detection drive signal is simultaneously applied to three adjacent target electrodes selected from the two kinds of drive electrodes which are alternately arranged side by side, scanning is performed to shift the target electrodes by two electrodes at a time.